Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
With the dedicated support of public health professionals, diseases of public health importance have been eradicated or eliminated from India: Dr. Harsh Vardhan
“Under the dynamic leadership of our Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, we are poised to achieve Universal Health Coverage by providing holistic care through the two pillars of Ayushman Bharat i.e. Pradhan Mantri Jan ArogyaYojana  to provide healthcare coverage to 50 cr citizens of the country and setting up of Health and Wellness Centres in all parts of the country. We aim to transform 150,000 PHCs and sub-centres to HWCs by 2022”, said Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare while inaugurating the 64th Annual National Conference of the Indian Public Health Association, at AIIMS New Delhi today.
Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that we have seen and experienced the major outbreaks across the globe like Nipah and Ebola which has struck so many countries but we didn’t allow such outbreaks in our country. Similarly, we have taken all the necessary precautionary measures to tackle the global scenario emerging due to Novel Coronavirus.
He further said that we can also achieve the herculean target to eradicate Tuberculosis by 2025 with the contribution of all stakeholders way ahead to the timeline.
Dr Harsh Vardhan stated that as the dynamics of diseases burden is changing worldwide, we need to look for newer solutions such as digital technology in health and geospatial information systems. He also said that India is now capable to create new milestones and show the way forward for Health for All. He added that with the wholehearted support of public health professionals, India was able to eliminate poliomyelitis and there are other success stories, where with the dedication and help of public health professionals, diseases of public health importance have been eradicated or eliminated from India. Because of such contributions of present and past members of the Indian Public Health Association , the IPHA is held in high regard, he said.
The Union Health Minister stated that with the theme of “Promoting Public Health Leadership for Universal Health Coverage in India”, this conference will see the convergence of India’s leading experts in the field of public health. The theme holds relevance in today’s India where “Ayushman Bharat” has been launched with a view to providing equitable health to its citizens, thereby achieving ‘Health for All’ goal. IPHACON 2020 will provide an opportunity to explore, learn and share knowledge on various health programms and initiatives by the government like Swastha Bharat Mission, Ayushman Bharat, PoshanAbhiyan and Jal Jeevan Mission for public health experts working in different fields. Eminent speakers from the field of public health will share their experiences, views and opinions on topics like public health leadership for UHC, Mission towards malnutrition free India, AnaemiaMukt Bharat, Tobacco Control, Strengthening public Health Systems, Anti- microbial resistance, Maternal Nutrition Programmes, Ending AIDS by 2030 and Updates on National Health Initiatives, Dr. Harsh Vardhan stated.
DrRandeepGuleria , Professor Sanjay Rai , Dr. Sanghamitra Ghosh, , Professor Shashi Kant , DrPuneetMisra, Organizing Secretary of IPHACON 2020 along with other officials of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and WHO representatives were present during the event.